


Adventure! (And other college shenanigans)

by AuraSweet13



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: A lot of the characters from the show will be in this story, F/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-07
Updated: 2021-01-18
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:14:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,818
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27945842
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AuraSweet13/pseuds/AuraSweet13
Summary: Mermista is a Marine Sciences student looking to become a marine biologist who works part time at Bright Moon Coffee to pay off her student loans. Sea Hawk is a young former naval cadet who was dishonorably discharged from the navy for setting ships on fire. He also happens to be infatuated with the snarky yet deadpan barista who works at the coffee shop near his apartment. A Seamista College/Coffee Shop AU.
Relationships: Mermista/Sea Hawk (She-Ra), Other ships I've yet to decide on
Comments: 18
Kudos: 10





	1. A Rocky First Encounter.

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first multichapter fic I've started in ages and I couldn't be more excited about it. I hope you all enjoy reading this as much as I enjoy writing it.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our story begins...

_It’s far too early for this shit._ Mermista thought as she trudged down the street towards the bright and welcoming ‘Bright Moon Coffee’. Okay, sure, it was 11am, so the ‘too early’ part wasn’t technically true. But she’d had her Earth and Ocean Sciences class at 8am and now she had to go work at her part time job, which barely paid her anything, for another couple hours until her Marine Ecology class at 2pm. To say she was exhausted would be an understatement of the highest order. **  
**

She was so lost in her own head and her own misfortunes that she barely managed to dodge out of the way of a renegade cyclist who was singing some ridiculous song about being ‘Sea Hawk, I am, I am’ at the top of his lungs as he nearly ran her down. “Watch where you’re going, asshole!” She called after him. He gave no indication that he’d heard her, though. Before she could ponder any more about him, however, a car drove through a puddle right next to where she was standing, drenching her new jeans and the bottom half of her favorite sweater in dirty water. She groaned in irritation. It really was shaping up to be a long day.

~~~

When Mermista walked in, one of the other baristas-a sweet if not annoyingly positive girl named Perfuma-took notice of her state right away and gasped, running over to her. “Oh my gods, Mermista, what happened to you?”

“Some asshole on a bicycle nearly ran me down on the sidewalk, and then a passing car, well you can see the damage.” Mermista gritted through clenched teeth. But, more mortifyingly, she could feel tears pricking at the corners of her eyes. Talk about embarrassing.

To Perfuma’s credit, though, she didn’t even bat an eyelash if she noticed them. Instead, she just took Mermista’s hand-the one that wasn’t holding tightly to the strap of the bag on her shoulder-and led her towards the back room. “Come on, you can wear some of mine while I toss yours in the dryer for a bit. We’re about the same height so they should fit you.” As grateful as she was, Mermista balked at the thought. Perfuma was stylish, sure...but her specific style clashed with Mermista’s own, especially in terms of colors. Perfuma tended to lean towards pinks and greens, colors that paired well with her blonde hair, brown eyes and tanned skin. Unfortunately, pinks and the bright greens that Perfuma liked to favor did not flatter her in the way they did Perfuma. Not to mention, Mermista was stockier than Perfuma’s lithe frame, so there was the issue of that as well.

Still, if she said this, she knew that would mean she’d have to stay in her soaked clothing, and that was even more unpleasant. She figured she could stomach wearing Perfuma’s clothes for three hours.

“Thanks, Perfuma.” Mermista said instead, offering the other girl a small but nonetheless genuine smile.

Perfuma’s smile was bright and definitely infectious. “You’re so welcome! I’m always happy to help!” She said, going over to open her locker and rifle through her bag-which always seemed to have an infinite amount of clothing inside of it.

While Perfuma did that, Mermista looked around the back room. It was pretty spacious, which was good because there were more than a few employees that had to fit back here. 

Along with herself and Perfuma, the other employees were Bow, a guy who was nice enough, she supposed; Adora, someone who Mermista didn’t know too well but definitely thought was attractive, even if she’d never actually say so out loud, and Glimmer. Glimmer, however, was complicated in that she didn’t technically need to work at the shop.

Her mother owned the place, after all. 

But when Mermista had asked Glimmer why she worked there on her first day, Glimmer had said (rather succinctly, she might add) “I want to prove to people that I’m more than just a spoiled rich girl.”

That was enough explanation for Mermista.

“Here you are!” Mermista was jolted out of her thoughts by Perfuma setting some clothes on the bench.

Mermista felt her heart drop into her stomach. She was looking at a flowery pink dress. Definitely not her style. But, as ‘her style’ was currently soaked in what was probably sewer water, she supposed she really couldn’t complain. Not out loud, anyway.

“Thanks, Perfuma.” Mermista said, gingerly picking up the dress so she didn’t get dirty water all over it and heading over to change.

“You’re welcome!” She heard the cheerful chirp as the door of the bathroom closed behind her.

\------

After careening up onto the sidewalk for a brief moment, Sea Hawk righted himself to the best of his ability and continued on down the road, only to end up slamming nearly face first into the back of a parked car not two minutes later.

“I _meant_ to do that!” Sea Hawk said loudly, to no one in particular.

Then he scrambled off the bike, walking it over to the rack and chaining it up, all the while humming the song that he’d made up himself...about himself.

Now was the perfect time for a latte, if he did say so himself, and what better place to grab it at than Bright Moon Coffee? It was close to his apartment, the staff were always nice to him, and the beverages were amazing.

It was a win-win all around, in his eyes. Smiling brightly, he walked to the door, and reached for the handle.

~~~

The bell over the door jingled as he walked in, and he smiled a little at the sound. “Yo, Sea Hawk!” A familiar voice called to him, and he looked over as Bow, his favorite barista, came over to give him a hug.

“Hey Bow!” Sea Hawk responded, wrapping his arms around Bow without hesitation. “I just came in to get my daily fix of the delicious coffee from this place.”

“Your usual?” Bow asked, and Sea Hawk nodded. “Coming right up.” Bow darted off to the counter to slip behind it and start on his order-Sea Hawk was not subtle in watching him walk away. Bow was exactly his kind of guy, both in looks and personality. Dark eyes that lit up when he laughed, a darker complexion than Sea Hawk’s own and curly dark hair in an afro style. He walked casually up to the counter and rested his arms on it, basking in the familiarity of the place.

He wasn’t focused on anything in particular, so when he heard a scathing “You!”, he looked up, startled.

Calling the young woman in front of him beautiful would not have done her justice in the slightest. Sea Hawk was no stranger to attractive people, but this woman was unlike any he’d ever met before in terms of how lovely she was. Dark teal hair pulled into a bun on top of her head, skin that was slightly darker than Bow’s, and vibrant brown eyes.

Eyes that were currently glaring daggers at him. This particular look brought the phrase ‘if looks could kill’ to his mind. Before he could ask what he’d done to aggravate her, she spoke again. “You are the most colossal asshole I’ve ever met.”

“Mermista!” Bow gasped from her side, holding Sea Hawk’s usual of a caramel latte in his hands.

“He almost ran me down not even an hour ago, he deserves it!” The young woman, Mermista, snapped back.

Now Bow was looking at him with the same expression he had been giving Mermista only seconds before. “Sea Hawk!”

“It was an accident.” Sea Hawk remarked, not wanting to say that he hadn’t even noticed her-that was how fast he’d been going.

Mermista, though, was clearly not having it. “Everyone knows that bicycles don’t go on the sidewalk!” Even though she was tearing a verbal strip off him, he’d be lying if he said it wasn’t completely captivating and attractive. Besides, considering he almost hit her, he kind of deserved it, in his opinion. “Seriously, _how_ do you not know that?!”

He looked away from her only because he saw a very tall, slender woman come from the back of the cafe over to where they stood. She was so graceful she was practically floating, with pink hair that had purple at the tips and a pressed black suit. He noticed her, Bow noticed her, but Mermista didn’t seem to as she kept glaring at him. “Mermista.” Her voice was lightly accented.

As he watched, Mermista’s back went ramrod straight. “Yes, Angella?” She asked, and the change in her voice was instant. Her tone got quieter, and she sounded like a different person altogether.

“I think you should take off early.” Angella said, and he watched Mermista’s eyes widen. Mermista tensed up and opened her mouth, but the look Angella shot her caused her to promptly close it again. “You’re making a scene in front of the customers.”

“Okay, Angella.” Mermista responded, seeming dejected. Sea Hawk had felt guilty upon hearing that he’d almost run her down to begin with, but the look on her face just twisted his heart even further. As he watched, she headed towards the back of the room, taking off her apron and hanging it on a nearby hook as she went. In that moment, he noticed she was wearing a pink dress that, while it looked nice, didn’t really seem like it fit her. He watched her until the back room door closed behind her, then turned his attention back to Angella.

“I’m so sorry about her.” She apologized.

Sea Hawk shook his head. “It’s quite all right. I actually think _I’m_ the one who owes _her_ an apology. Excuse me.” He placed some money on the table and accepted the latte from Bow before getting up and heading out of the cafe.

Maybe he could catch her before she left.


	2. A Much Needed Apology

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mermista's humiliated from her encounter with Sea Hawk. But he wants to make it up to her.

Mermista was humiliated, and angry, and, ironically enough, even more stressed out than she had been going into the cafe in the first place. She was still in Perfuma’s borrowed dress because her own clothes hadn’t had time to dry before she was asked to take off early by her boss, who usually wasn’t too unreasonable but must have been having a bad day or something.

And to make things even worse, she still had her class in three hours.

The world really was conspiring against her.

She swiped angrily at her eyes with the back of her hand to try and get rid of the tears that had been threatening to spill since she’d entered the cafe.

Perfuma would tell her to look on the bright side, and normally she’d humor her coworker and friend. But at this moment? She really didn’t see a bright side, except maybe for the fact that now she had time to go back to her apartment and change into clothes she was actually comfortable in before her class.

Though, that was a pretty dim bright side, in her opinion.

“Excuse me, Mermista?” She tensed up hearing that voice.

The voice of the man who was the reason she’d been asked to take off early and likely would not get paid this week.

Her eyes narrowed as she turned to look at him. “What the Hell do you want? Haven’t you done enough?”

The man winced. “Okay, I definitely deserved that. And I deserved your ire in the cafe as well.” Well, at least he knew that. So maybe he wasn’t completely hopeless. “I’m sorry that you got asked to leave early because of the situation.”

Mermista waved her hand, trying to be nonchalant. “It’s fine. It’s whatever, I mean, I didn’t even really want to be there today anyway.” She tried to make it as convincing as possible, though she wasn’t entirely sure she succeeded in that regard.

If the man believed her or not, he didn’t give any indication one way or the other. “Please let me make it up to you somehow.”

Mermista wanted to ask him how he planned to do that, or why she should even let him, so she looked contemplatively at him. He was handsome enough, she supposed. Dark red hair, dark eyes that were somehow also bright, and a very flashy outfit. “What’s your name, anyway? I figure the least you can do is tell me that.”

“Sea Hawk.” He said, and then swept into a ridiculous bow. The urge to smile was strong, but she pushed it down before he stood up so he didn’t see the way her lips had been twitching up into an almost smile.

“Your name is Sea Hawk? Like, legally?” She was somehow doubtful about that, but she would be lying if she said ‘Sea Hawk’ didn’t suit him somehow.

“Well, no, it’s not my legal name but it’s what everyone calls me.” He responded, and she gave a ‘fair enough’ nod. “Besides, can you really criticize what my name is, _Mermista_?”

This time she actually did chuckle. “Okay, okay, fine I guess I kind of deserved that. Or whatever.”

When she looked back at him, he was staring at her in a way that was unusual and more than a little creepy in her opinion. His eyes were literally sparkling. “You are everything I’ve ever wanted.”

Well that was definitely creepy, and yet her cheeks burned all the same. “Stop _looking_ at me like that! Don’t think I forgot about you nearly running me over on that bicycle of yours.”

“Sorry, my parents always said I had no filter.” Sea Hawk looked sheepish, rubbing the back of his neck and looking adorably awkward. Wait, adorably? No. No, absolutely not. She was not doing this. Not now, not ever. The guy almost hit her with his bike! “Look,” He said, and she snapped out of her thoughts to look at him again. His eyes were no longer shining like she hung the moon. “I do feel really bad about that. Please, let me buy you lunch to make up for it?”

Mermista pulled her phone out of her bag, fingers running idly over the iridescent blue and purple mermaid scales on her phone case and swinging her phone just enough so the baby harp seal phone charm knocked lightly against her fingers, to check the time. She had about two hours before her class. Looking up at him, she nodded. “Okay, you can buy me lunch.” Upon seeing the way his face lit up, she quickly added “But don’t make a big deal out of it.”

Sea Hawk shook his head. “No, ma’am.” and Mermista was glad her back was turned so he couldn’t see her smiling.

~~~

The diner they were in was nice. It seemed to be nautical/sea-themed, which was just fine by Mermista. She was tucking into a plate of very well made fish and chips, while Sea Hawk sat across from her, eating a grouper sandwich.

And in between bites, they talked.

“So why do you go by Sea Hawk?” Mermista asked. Despite her attempts to claim that she didn’t care all that much, she couldn’t deny that she was in fact curious about him.

“It’s a nickname I got when I was in the Navy and it just kind of stuck.” He responded with another bite of his sandwich.

Mermista’s brows furrowed in response. He didn’t look that much older than she was. “You’re in the Navy?”

A look she couldn’t describe came to his face. “I was.”

Mermista felt a stab of guilt and, instead of asking more questions right off the bat like she wanted to, she took another bite of her food instead. “Thanks, for buying me lunch. I haven’t eaten since early this morning before my first class.” She said softly.

Sea Hawk seemed to perk immediately. “What are you going to school for?”

“Marine Biology.” Mermista responded. “Well, the program is Marine Sciences but that’s what I want to do. I want to be a Marine Biologist.” As much as she tended to be aloof and keep to herself, it was hard for her not to get excited when she was talking about a subject she loved. Like her field of study, or the Mer-Mysteries books.

He looked at her in a way that seemed contemplative. “I can see that.” Sea Hawk said with a nod. “You look like a Marine Biology student, although I must admit...Don’t get me wrong, the dress looks great. However, I get the feeling you’re not comfortable in pink clothing, if that makes sense?”

Mermista’s cheeks burned and she looked down at her food as she shoveled a couple more fries into her mouth. It wasn’t until she swallowed them that she spoke again-though she still couldn’t look him in the eyes. “I’m not. This is my friend Perfuma’s dress. She let me borrow it after my clothes were soaked by a passing car splashing through a puddle.” That reminded her that they were likely still back in the dryer at the cafe. “...And they’re probably still back at the cafe. I can’t go to class like this.” She muttered, more to herself than him.

She looked up at movement out of the corner of her eye and saw Sea Hawk standing. He looked, determined? “Mermista, let me go get your clothes for you.” He said, his tone slightly pleading.

Her eyes widened and she shook her head. “No, I...I couldn’t ask you to do that.”

“Ah, but you’re not asking. I’m offering.” He pointed out, and she couldn’t deny that he had a point. She couldn’t quite believe he was offering to do that for her.

“Seriously, it’s fine, you don’t have to do that. My dorm isn’t that far away. I’ll head over there after we’re done and change into other clothes, and then I’ll get my clothes from today back tomorrow.” Mermista pinched the bridge of her nose. Great. Now she was rambling. “But, thank you, Sea Hawk. I really appreciate that.”

His smile made her heart jolt in her chest as he sat back down. “You’re welcome, Mermista.”

The rest of their meal was eaten in a companionable silence, and when the bill came they split it.

It wasn’t a date, not by a long shot. But it felt like one to Mermista. And that thought made her head spin, but in a good way.

So much for trying not to think he was cute.

~~~

“Thank you again.” Mermista said as they walked out of the diner side by side.

“It was my pleasure.” Sea Hawk responded, and Mermista didn’t think she’d ever get used to his way of talking to her. Like she was royalty he had the utmost respect for, and not some random woman he barely knew.

She looked at her phone and her eyes widened. It was almost 1:30. “I have to go.” She said, turning away from him.

“Wait, Mermista!” His words made her stop and turn to look at him. He looked suddenly shy. “Could I get your phone number? I’d really like to see you again.”

Her cheeks burned like they were on fire. “Uh, yeah, sure, I guess.” She said, and reached into her bag for her phone. “Here, you give me yours and I’ll give you mine.”

He beamed. “That sounds perfect!” Within a couple of minutes, they both had each other’s numbers.

“See you around, Sea Hawk.” Mermista said with a wave.

“Not if I see you first!” The roll of her eyes was playful this time.

As she walked away, she changed his contact name ever so slightly.

_Dork (Sea Hawk)._


	3. Making Plans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mermista's class, with some appearances by her friends.

Adora ended up in Mermista’s Marine Ecology class completely by accident. But, as it turned out, she happened to have a knack for the subject, so she was allowed to stay. 

Because they knew each other from the cafe, they often chose to sit together in class. It made Mermista feel better than if she had to sit alone. She didn’t have an issue with being alone, but in university people tended to give you strange looks if you sat alone. She was still in a good mood from her not-date (because it obviously hadn’t been a date, of course) with Sea Hawk, and now she was changed into a fresh, dry pair of clothes that she was far more comfortable in than Perfuma’s pink dress-a pair of black jeans and a white blouse under a black jacket, complete with a comfortable yet stylish pair of black ballet flats-so she was feeling pretty on top of the world when she walked into class a few minutes early.

She waved at Adora and walked up to join her at their usual spot-not too far near the top but not right in the front row either. No sooner had she sat down and started to get her notebook and textbook and pens out did Adora speak. “Mermista, are you okay? What Angella did, that was kinda harsh.”

Mermista really didn’t need this right now. She was actually in a good mood, finally, despite everything that had gone on that morning. So, she kind of just wanted to move on from it. “I’m fine, Adora.” Seeing the way the other girl flinched at her tone, she softened and placed a hand on her arm. “Thank you for asking though. It means a lot.” She didn’t think any of the others had noticed, so it was nice to know that wasn’t the case

Adora returned her smile. “You’re welcome, Mermista. I got you, don’t worry about it.” Adora was beautiful, if Mermista was being completely honest. Blonde hair, warm blue eyes. And she was tall. Mermista liked tall people, what could she say? But it was more than that. There was such a genuine warmth to Adora that Mermista was constantly in awe of. She always wanted to do the best she could for people-and not just her friends, either. But everyone she could help, she would, to the best of her ability.

Maybe Mermista was a little bit in love with her, not that she’d ever say anything, of course.

Her phone buzzed, and she looked down to see a message from Glimmer:

_Twinkle: ohmigod that was so uncool of my mom! She was the one who made a scene, not you!_

_Twinkle: i’m going to talk to her after my class! >:(_

_Mermista: please don’t._

_Mermista: i know you mean well, but seriously please don’t do that._

_Mermista: i need this job._

_**Twinkle is typing...** _

Before she could see Glimmer’s response, the class was starting, and Mermista stuffed her phone into her bag to pay attention. She actually liked her classes. They were challenging, sure, but that was what made them fun. Which was why she always gave them her full attention.

Her class was three hours long. How many messages could Glimmer send in that time frame, anyway?

~~~

Mermista was more than a little terrified to open her messages when she saw that she had 40 from Glimmer... She liked Glimmer well enough, but the way she texted was infuriating. Instead of putting everything she needed to say in one text, she spaced them out in individual texts.

Upon inspection, she saw that it wasn’t just from Glimmer but also a...group text.

Mermista’s heart dropped into her stomach as she swiped to open it and see the disaster that Glimmer had started.

**_THE REBEL ALLIANCE GROUP CHAT_ **

_Adora: seriously Bow? The Rebel Alliance? this isn’t Star Wars._

_Bow: What? I like how it sounds!_

_Scorpia: I’m with Bow on this one, honestly. It sounds super cool._

_Twinkle: Okay guys, focus! We need to get my mom to realize that she was way too harsh on Mermista today._

_Mermista: glimmer! i told you not to meddle!_

_Mermista: whatever this is, I’m out._

_Mermista: i can’t stand group chats._

With a couple clicks, she had left the group chat and she could breathe again. Group chats were way too overwhelming, even when they were with her friends. Now that that was out of the way, she noticed that she had another text, from...Sea Hawk?

_Dork (Sea Hawk): mermista, I hope your class went well! :D_

_Mermista: yep it did. thanks for asking._

_Dork (Sea Hawk): i’m really happy to hear that._

_Mermista: are you always this perky or am I just lucky?_

_Dork (Sea Hawk): this is all natural!_

_Mermista: noted._

Mermista leaned against the wall to scroll through her phone for a bit before grabbing some lunch and heading off to her next class.

Her phone vibrated in her hand and she saw that she had an incoming call...from her dad, Mercia.

Her dad who had been checked out of her life ever since her mother had died when she was a kid.

Without hesitation, she hit ‘End Call’ and then promptly shoved her phone as deep into her bag as it would go. She was just, not going to get into that. Now, or ever, if she could help it. Maybe if she did it enough times her dad would take the hint and stop trying to contact her.

 _Yeah, right._ Mermista thought with a pessimistic scoff. _I think pigs will fly before that happens._

Unfortunately, her dad was determined-she got that from him-so she had her doubts about him giving up on contacting her anytime soon.

Shaking it off and getting her facial expression into its usual mask, she pulled up her message to Sea Hawk.

_Mermista: so, what do you do when you’re not almost running down girls on your bicycle?_

_Dork (Sea Hawk): are you going to let that go any time soon?_

_Mermista: not likely._

_Dork (Sea Hawk): well, when I’m not almost hitting girls on my bike, I enjoy swimming._

_Mermista: really?_

_Dork (Sea Hawk): yep! And if you do too, maybe we could go swimming together sometime?_

_Mermista: i’d have to check my schedule, but if i’m not busy, i suppose that would be okay._

_Mermista: we’ll see if you can keep up with me._

_Dork (Sea Hawk): I ACCEPT YOUR CHALLENGE._

_Dork (Sea Hawk): let me know when it’s good for you._

_Mermista: well, I’m not doing anything tomorrow?_

_Mermista: if you’re not busy_

_Dork (Sea Hawk): i’m not!_

_Dork (Sea Hawk): tomorrow sounds great. What time? I’m good whenever._

_Mermista: noon? i’m usually not properly awake until then on the days I don’t have classes or work._

_Dork (Sea Hawk): noon it is! i shall see you tomorrow, Mermista!_

_Mermista: see you tomorrow, Sea Hawk._

As Mermista put her phone away and headed back to her dorm, she found that she was actually excited for tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this chapter was super 'text chat' heavy. It won't always be like this, promise. Next up, Mermista and Sea Hawk's first (second, more like) date


	4. What the Water Gave Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mermista and Sea Hawk's swimming date.

For as long as she could remember, Mermista loved swimming. Swimming was the one thing that always relaxed her, even when she was competing against someone. Her mother used to say that she should’ve been a fish or a mermaid, because she learned how to swim almost as soon as she learned how to walk. At least, that was what her mom had always said.

It certainly checked out, though, because almost every memory she had involved water in some way.

As much as she wanted to try to convince herself this wasn’t a date...it was almost certainly a date. And honestly, she wasn’t sure how to feel about that. He was a nice enough guy, sure-really nice, in fact-but she didn’t want to get close to him.

Her father was proof that even those who were supposed to stick around didn’t always do that, and you couldn’t be hurt by someone if you didn’t get close enough to let them hurt you. Sure, it wasn’t the healthiest way to be, and she’d gotten flack for it from her friends before, but her heart remained unbroken, so she considered it a win.

And she didn’t have to dress up for a swimming date, so there was that too.

She had decided to wear her teal bikini, and she had a loose fitting sweatshirt as well as a pair of track pants to cover up so she wasn’t cold on the walk over.

_Mermista: ready to get your butt kicked?_

_Dork (Sea Hawk): you seem almost more chipper than i usually do!_

_Mermista: how dare you._

_Dork (Sea Hawk): :P_

_Mermista: did you really just ‘:p’ me?_

_Dork (Sea Hawk): I sure did. i hope that isn’t a problem._

_Mermista: i’ll let it slide. but just this once._

_Mermista: see you soon._

She placed her phone on top of all of her swimming gear, slung it over her shoulder and headed out of her dorm to the community pool. For once, the weather was actually nice-but that didn’t mean she regretted dressing up the way she had to keep warm. Nice weather didn’t mean she could walk around in her swimsuit without getting cold.

Mermista had told Adora and Glimmer where she was going and who she was going to be with just in case-she didn’t think Sea Hawk was anyone to worry about, she wasn’t sure he’d even hurt a fly, but it never hurt to be safe. She hummed to herself as she headed to the pool, wondering if she’d get there before Sea Hawk, or if he’d already be there waiting for her.

Entering the pool, she smiled and waved at the receptionist-her face was a well known one around here, because she was here often enough when she wasn’t working or in school-who didn’t hesitate to wave back at her. Stepping into the main part of the building, she looked around for Sea Hawk. Upon not seeing him, she fired off a text to let him know she was at the pool and would see him soon (not adding ‘hopefully’ even though she wanted to), before heading towards the women’s locker room.

~~~

Mermista was lost in her own head as she showered and changed to get into the familiar water of the pool, and she was grateful that no one was around to bother her while she got ready.

She had no previous relationship experience, so this was more than a little out of her comfort zone. Even though she hadn’t specified that it was a date, it certainly felt that way to her-and there was no way of knowing if that was how Sea Hawk saw this encounter or not-and given her penchant for avoiding her feelings as often as possible, the chances of her outright asking him that question first was almost nonexistent. Mermista’s phone went off as she was putting all of her outside clothing and belongings into a locker.

_Dork (Sea Hawk): i’m waiting in the main pool area for you!_

_Mermista: i’ll be right out._

_Mermista: just putting my possessions into a locker._

_Dork (Sea Hawk): fantastic idea! see you soon!_

The lock clicked shut with a satisfying sound under her fingers and she headed out to meet him.

Unsurprisingly, he was already swimming in the water, but he looked up when he saw her. As she watched, she swore he got literal hearts in his eyes as they looked at her, roaming up and down her body for the briefest of moments.

Her cheeks burned so hot she wondered if her face was on fire. Mermista had a weird relationship with her body, to put it lightly, in that she was both extremely confident in it and what it could do, as well as prone to horrible bouts of self consciousness that were nearly destabilizing when they cropped up.

“Wow.” Sea Hawk said simply as he swam over to the edge of the pool, resting his arms on the ledge and looking at her. “You’re beautiful, Mermista.” There wasn’t a doubt in her mind that he meant it, either.

Yeah, her face was definitely on fire now. “Thanks…” She said. And then, without another word, she walked over and slipped gracefully into the water. “So, I was thinking we could race, if that’s cool with you?”

Sea Hawk nodded, looking determined. “I can think of nothing I’d like more than to race you in the water like this.” Both of them got set up at the edge of the pool, making sure that their path was free of people-there weren’t too many people in the pool, so she didn’t think that would be an issue for them. “On three?” He suggested.

Mermista nodded. “Sounds good.” She got into position and waited for him to do the same. “One...two...three!” The second she said ‘three’, both of them pushed off the edge of the pool and started their race.

There was something so calming to Mermista about being in the water. Under the water, all sound was muffled and she could focus more clearly on what she was thinking and feeling. And right now, her only thoughts were of beating Sea Hawk in this race.

Date or not-date, she wasn’t about to lose to him when she felt more comfortable in the water than virtually anywhere else.

Her hand touched the far well of the pool and she resurfaced with a cheer of delight. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Sea Hawk only a little bit behind her.

“You’re amazing.” was the first thing that Sea Hawk said once he resurfaced.

Mermista’s cheeks were burning again. “You’re not so bad yourself. I don’t think I’ve ever had someone who could keep up with me.” Though he had been a little behind her, she still counted him as largely keeping pace with her. “But, I guess there’s a lot I don’t know about you, huh?” Considering they had only met three times in total, if you included this time, which she did, she supposed it was understandable.

“I’m an open book.” Sea Hawk said softly as he closed the distance between them. “Ask me anything, I’ll tell you.”

The first question that came to mind was _When you said you ‘were’ in the Navy, what did you mean by that?_ But somehow she knew that even though he said he was an open book, that would be a touchy subject for him. So she decided not to touch that topic for the time being. “Okay, um...where do you live?” It was a weak question, sure, but she couldn’t think of anything else.

He smiled. “I actually live in an apartment near Bright Moon Coffee. Which is great for me, because I love the coffee there.” He reached out to lightly stroke her cheek and, to her surprise, she didn’t flinch away. In fact, the urge to do so was practically nonexistent. “Mermista, can I kiss you?” His voice was barely above a whisper.

Her breath hitched in her throat as she tried to discern if she’d heard him right, that she didn’t just have water in her ears. The expectant look on his face let her know that she hadn’t just been hearing things. Speechless, she nodded. Sea Hawk’s beaming grin made her glad she had given permission, and he swam close enough to gently cup her face and then closed the minuscule distance between them to press his lips to hers.

After the briefest moment of hesitation, she melted into it, sliding her arms around his neck. Time seemed to stop as they kissed, and for once, Mermista didn’t care what was going on around them.

“Excuse me, there are _children_ here.” They quickly broke apart and looked up at the sight of an older woman looking at them in a disapproving way.

“Sorry, ma’am.” Sea Hawk said, but he didn’t sound that apologetic at all. Mermista fought a grin, biting her lip to try and stave it off.

“See to it that it doesn’t happen again.” And with a ‘Hmph’ and a nod, the woman stalked off. Neither of them moved or said anything until she was out of sight, at which point both of them devolved into laughter. Mermista found herself watching Sea Hawk fondly as he laughed.

 _Oh, I’m in so much trouble._ She thought.


	5. Their Own Thing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mermista, Sea Hawk and Bright Moon Coffee.

Mermista couldn’t quite believe the name that the most recent customer had given her to write on his coffee. 

Chad. 

Seriously, Chad?

If there was a more obvious way to showcase that you were a total douche, she didn’t know it.

Of course, she was determined to not get in trouble with Angella again-she meant it when she told Glimmer that she needed this job-so she kept her face a stoic mask even though she wanted to double over laughing.

It was like the name Karen; even the nicest Chad was going to be lumped in with the douchebags who had that name. That didn’t mean they were all terrible people, though.

Unfortunately, this one definitely fit the stereotype that accompanied the name ‘Chad’. It didn’t help that as soon as this guy had seen her, he’d winked and tried to get her number. While she was working. So, not only did he have the possible worst name for a guy ever, but he was clearly the epitome of class, too. 

(If she couldn’t be sarcastic out loud, she could still do that in her head, at least).

Her and Sea Hawk hadn’t exactly defined what they were (yet), but she definitely wasn’t looking for anyone else in the meantime; especially not a guy who smelled like he’d drowned himself in Axe body spray.

Turning away, she chuckled to herself as she made Chad’s order, shaking her head as she did so. Even his order was as hypermasculine as hell. 

Actually, that wasn’t necessarily true; he ordered the same thing that she usually had-a simple black coffee. But it was the way he ordered it that made him douchey.

_“None of that fancy frappe bullshit or whatever. No sugar, no sprinkles, nothing but a simple, standard black coffee. Got it?”_

Then he’d looked at her like he thought she was incapable of following directions, and the urge to look back at him like she thought he was scum of the Earth was nearly irresistible.

Nearly.

But the thought of getting reprimanded again was an incredible incentive for her to do just that.

So instead, when her back was turned as she got him his black coffee, she made faces about him at Adora, who had to cover her mouth with her hand to smother her laughter.

“Chad, your coffee is ready.” She said, the thinnest of veiled snarks present in her tone as she did so. Chad sauntered up to the counter, right at the same time Sea Hawk did. “Ugh, you again?” She said to Sea Hawk, but there was a slight bit of affection in her tone. She didn’t want him thinking that she was actually serious.

“You’re breaking my heart, Mermista.” Sea Hawk said, and Mermista kept most of her attention on him as she handed Chad his coffee and accepted the money he gave her back-there was a slip of paper in with the bills, and her stomach was already rolling at the thought of what was written on there.

“You’ll bounce back, I’m sure.” She said, more than aware of the way Chad shoulder checked Sea Hawk, hard enough to make him stumble slightly before regaining his footing as he stalked out of the coffee shop. “Friend of yours?” Now that he was gone, she had no problems dropping her ‘customer service’ voice and letting the full personality of her usual dry tone shine through.

“Something like that.” Sea Hawk said with a nervous laugh, rubbing the back of his neck. She’d never seen him like this before, and to say it was a little destabilizing wouldn’t be doing just how unsettling it was justice. “Scurvy is an old naval academy buddy of mine…”

“Ah, the elusive naval academy.” Mermista said dryly once again, though her interest was definitely piqued. “Are you finally going to tell me about that?”

“I will. Eventually.” Sea Hawk said after several moments of silence. He seemed to consider something, then leaned across the counter to press a kiss to her cheek. “I’ll let you get back to work now.” She watched him walk out of the coffee shop and then turned her attention to the next person in the line, blatantly ignoring the way that her cheeks were burning. It was infuriating how he could do that to her seemingly without trying.

But she would be lying if she said that she wasn’t enjoying their time together immensely. They hadn’t put a label on what they were yet-and she personally didn’t see why they needed to do so right out of the gate, anyway, they’d only been on a couple of dates, though that was largely irrelevant in the grand scheme of the situation-but they didn’t really need to.

They were their own thing, and that was perfectly okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is basically a filler chapter to set up later events in the story. It's short but I hope you enjoy it all the same!


End file.
